Mint Primer

The heatwaves sweeping India can lead to a spike in food inflation, especially vegetables and mangoes where prices are already steep. After a prolonged spurt in cereal and pulse prices, are we facing a volatile new front in the battle against inflation?

Flexible workspace provider Awfis Space Solutions recently got the market regulator’s nod for a public listing. More operators, which offer modern office solutions, are likely to follow. What does this mean for the commercial office sector?

Theoretically, redistribution of wealth is a good way to bring down economic inequality. But implementing it is fraught with challenges. As the debate on the topic rages, will look at the concept, the pros and cons of implementing it, and the outcomes of past attempts.

Prominent brands are under the scanner for selling sugary infant food, chicken fed with antibiotics, and spices peppered with cancer-causing chemicals. Naturally, experts are concerned about lax regulations.

This month, Meta unveiled its new AI model, Llama-3, and Microsoft introduced Phi-3. The base version of each is tiny in comparison to large language models (LLMs). Turns out, shrinking AI models is what Big Tech is doing to reach every user in the world.

On 21 April, 470,751 passengers flew, setting a record for Indian air traffic by beating the previous record registered a year ago. Record demand this summer has implications for both aviation companies and passengers.

The US Federal Reserve’s (Fed) chairman Jerome Powell last week said that he will wait longer before cutting interest rates as inflation in the US remains sticky. This has rattled the markets.

If recent deal wins by top-tier players are anything to go by, IT services companies are in for better times ahead. Gartner’s forecast of growth in global tech demand with ‘gold rush’ spending on AI, only adds to the optimism.

The met department’s forecast of above-normal rains is a breather for India’s sluggish farm economy and tepid rural consumption. But high chances of excess rains and the havoc they can wreak are an early warning for governments to stay alert and prepared.

The rupee has fallen to a new low of 83.5 against the dollar. This has wide ramifications, making exports lucrative but imports expensive. We look at why the domestic currency is falling, how it impacts everybody and what the RBI can do about it.

Shaktikanta Das, the governor of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has raised concerns over unauthorized forex trading platforms and asked banks to remain alert. What explains this warning? And what’s been the experience with regulatory actions so far?

Private equity (PE) investments in India’s real estate have been falling over the past five years, despite a residential boom and recovery in the commercial office segment. While the number of deals has remained constant, the average deal size has shrunk.

Iran has attacked Israel directly after Israel bombed its consulate in Damascus, Syria, sending tensions in West Asia zooming once again. As the world waits nervously for Tel Aviv’s response, let us look at the implications for the rest of the world, including India.

US Congressman Adam Schiff has tabled a bill proposing tech firms training AI models disclose use of any copyrighted data. It follows criticism by creators on unfair use of their work by tech firms raking in billions. What does this mean for global innovation?

India and the Maldives may be moving to stabilise their bilateral ties after tensions. Since President Mohamed Muizzu took office last year, the removal of Indian troops from the Maldives has complicated diplomatic relations. But bilateral ties may be settling down.

Fresh geopolitical uncertainty has pushed global crude prices above $90 per barrel. How does it impact India’s oil marketing companies? Will they be forced to increase prices in the election season?

Microsoft is unbundling its video conferencing platform Teams from the Office suite after a European probe into anti-competitive practices. Bundling of apps is under regulatory scrutiny everywhere. But breaking up Big Tech might not be the magic bullet.

Smid (small- and mid-cap) indices have recovered from their mid-March lows, after warnings of froth. The Nifty Midcap 150 hit a record 18,400 on Wednesday and the Nifty Smallcap 250 was just 2.8% shy of its 7 February record. Can this uptrend continue?

A steep reduction in subsidies on electric two-wheelers is set to increase prices for the second time in a year, by up to ₹12,000 in FY25. Will it undermine growth in an industry that is already facing multiple headwinds?

The general take on India’s rapid economic growth is that it’s powered by the government’s capex push. But a recent report questions this narrative, saying it underestimates the role of consumption.

Maintaining that GPT-4 “kind of sucks”, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said recently his company will release an “amazing new model” this year. This has sparked speculation that OpenAI may release GPT-5 sometime between June and August this year. Why is this a big deal?

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is tightening its scrutiny of the credit card industry. Recently, it asked Federal Bank and South Indian Bank to stop issuing new co-branded credit cards.

The Centre has notified a fact-checking unit to flag ‘misinformation’ about the government, with powers to issue directives. The Supreme Court has stayed the notification to verify the unit’s constitutionality.

Income and wealth inequality in India are at a historical peak with the share of the richest 1% higher than in countries like China and Brazil, finds a new study by the World Inequality Lab. Left unattended, India could slide into a plutocracy, the authors warn.